Digitalization of Industrial Inspection Assets through the Asset Administration Shell

Developments in industrial manufacturing systems, through the use of new digital technologies, are revolutionizing the traditional means by which companies operate in terms of productivity and competitiveness. The adoption of technologies related to Industry 4.0 (I4.0) has led to the possibility of digitizing industrial assets to achieve more responsive, reconfigurable and efficient production systems. The Asset Administration Shell (AAS) corresponds to a form of digital representation of a physical asset, such as, a machine or device, that describes its properties, functionalities, and behaviours, as well as guarantee interoperability between different systems. Implementing AAS in the industrial environment allows the creation of a standard for digitalising asset scenarios, which can be used for intelligent and non-intelligent products. This paper explores modelling geometric inspection assets on an automotive assembly line using AAS standards. Once modelled, the AAS of the assets are applied to a new approach for reactive AAS based on a REST API for real-time data transmission to a framework focused on Zero Defects Manufacturing. The implications associated with the asset modelling and the creation of the AAS server are presented and discussed, giving a critical opinion on the current status of the technologies associated with AAS in I4.0.